Merrimack fire displaces three

MERRIMACK — Three people were displaced and one firefighter suffered a minor injury Thursday night in a fire that started in a wood stove, Merrimack Fire Capt. Richard Gagne said.

Gagne said the homeowners were using the stove for the first time this season when they heard a crackling sound and called 911. Firefighters arrived to see an exterior wall engulfed in flames, which they were able to knock down quickly, he said.

The homeowners escaped without injury, but the home will not be habitable until repairs are made, Gagne said. One firefighter suffered a minor electrical shock, but was treated on the scene and continued fighting the fire, he said.

Gagne said the fire appeared to have started in the stove's chimney, but investigators have yet to determine how it started.